Briana Gess, the latest young female superstar to emerge on the American scene, won the New Jersey State Meet of Champions on Saturday by a remarkable 27 seconds against a field of national-class performers. Gess, who turned 15 in August, tore up the hilly Holmdel Park 5K course in 17:45, the fifth-fastest time ever. She will come into this Saturday’s Foot Locker Northeast Regional at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx as one of the favorites.

Big Surge: Gess and Tenafly senior Josette Norris—the state 1600m champion in 4:41.61 and national outdoor mile runner-up—drew ahead of the field coming out of the Bowl, the route’s notorious hill midway. They dueled for about a half-mile until Gess broke away in the last 1200m for the victory. Gess’ time shattered the freshman course record of 18:16 that she set winning the previous week’s State Group 2 race. Norris, who attended the Nike Elite Camp in Oregon over the summer, clocked 18:12. Third went to 2012 Foot Locker finalist Mackenzie Barry, a West Morris Mendham senior, who waged a furious home-stretch duel with Norris and was also timed in 18:12.

Small World of Runners: In an uncanny set of interwoven connections, Gess’ early stardom is reminiscent of what New Jersey’s Erin Donohue, a 2008 Olympian in the 1500m, achieved more than a decade ago. Where did Donohue go to school? Haddonfield. Who coached Gess in middle school? Donohue. Who happened to be the state meet’s special guest handing out awards at Holmdel Park? Donohue. And by the way, who is the current Haddonfield girls’ assistant cross country coach? Gess’ mother, Pam, a former Penn State heptathlete who scored in the NCAA championships.

Dazzling Speed: Gess surprised herself by joining the state’s all-time cross country elite with her fast time. She said she was hoping only to set a course PR by running 18:15. Perhaps Gess’ dazzling performance was predicted by her final tune-up workout four days earlier—3 x 800 on the track with full recovery in 2:25, 2:22 and 2:18. Or this workout from a few weeks ago—6 x 400 with 2 minutes recovery, running 66-67 for the first four repeats and 63, 61 for the last two.

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Growing Strength: Gess, now established as this season’s top freshman girl nationwide, worked up to 55 miles a week over the summer and has maintained that volume for much of the fall season. Her longest summer run was 13 miles. This fall, she’s kept up a weekly 10-miler. Haddonfield, located in south Jersey near Philadelphia, is not known for its hills. For trails and climbs, the team makes a short trip to Wissahickon Valley Park in northwest Philly.

Training Partners: Gess either runs with the team’s other top girl, senior Shelby Cain, or with the Haddonfield boys. The school’s head coach is Nick Baker, a veteran of 38 years, who has nurtured scores of marquee runners. Baker works with the boys’ squad and with Gess and Cain on their workout days. The girls’ coach is Mike Busarello. Briana’s mom plays a multifaceted role as parent, coach and former athlete. “She makes me feel better before races,” said Briana. “I could not compete without her.

Athletic Prowess: Baker said that Gess was similar to Donohue in being a complete athlete and “not getting overwhelmed by hard work.” Gess, 5-foot-7, played basketball in middle school and expects to continue on the Haddonfield team while skipping indoor track this year. Donohue also played basketball. In track, while winning three national high school mile titles, Donohue excelled in the javelin. In middle school track, Gess did the long jump and high jump.

Track Potential: Baker believes that Gess may surpass her cross country efforts in track. Gess ran a 4:57 mile last year in eighth grade. Baker feels that a 4:40 for next spring is a reasonable goal. The national freshman mile record is Mary Decker’s 4:42.0 from 1973. As a freshman in 2011, Mary Cain ran a 4:17.84 1500m, equivalent to about a 4:36 mile.

Coachable Kid: Gess joined a track club as a youngster and won the national Junior Olympic 3K cross country in fourth grade. Prior to awarding Gess her state trophy at Holmdel Park, Donohue, 30, spoke about the young talent destined to break her records. “I’d seen her run 18-flat for 5K races around town,” said Donohue, an assistant coach at Haddonfield Middle School. “So when Briana got to seventh grade I didn’t have to do much. She was very competitive and a good listener. The biggest challenge was holding her back.”

Sudden Fame: How does Gess, who has the poise of an older girl, try to maintain her composure in the spotlight? “I’m working on keeping it fun,” she said. “I don’t let it get to my head. I come into every race with a fresh mind and excited to run.” Speaking of fun, while maintaining a healthy diet, Gess treats herself to ice cream after dinner every night. “Cookies and cream,” she said.

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